New PDP Secretariat Closure: Residents Accuse Police of Harassment

Following the closure of the Secretariat of the New Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) in Abuja on Saturday by the police, residents of Onyi
River Crescent in Maitama, the location of the building, have accused
the men of the law of gross violation of their fundamental human
rights.
Some of the residents, who spoke to SaharaReporters under condition of
anonymity, condemned the high handedness and harassment of the armed
policemen deployed to guide the building, saying they have been
subjected to unnecessary harassment and denied free movement in the
area and access to their homes.
According to one of them, "Since Saturday that we have noticed the
presence of police in this area because of the faction of the PDP
wanted to open their office here, if you are going out from your house
or coming in the police will ask you to stop and be asking you all
manner of questions such as: Which house are you going? Who do you
want to see there? What is your mission and the number of the house,
and if you cannot answer some of these questions you will be asked to
go back after they might have detained you for some hours."
As a result of the siege, many people have become prisoners in their
own homes for fear of being embarrassed by the gun-wielding policemen
who have taken advantage of the illegal invasion to perpetrate various
misdemeanors.
One of the residents described as "barbaric" and "uncivilized," a
situation where law-abiding citizens are being prevented from gaining
access to and from their homes in the name of sealing the office of
the faction of a party.
"This is impunity and indiscipline of the highest order," he said.
"All these armored tanks were not here last week but because of the
few dissidents who are not happy with the way and manner in which the
affairs of the party are being handled, they now subjected our
children to this psychological trauma. Can you imagine that children
will be ready for school in the morning but on stepping out of the
house he/she will see sophisticated guns of various calibers? This
approach is not the best to resolve the crisis because we (residents)
in this area were not taken into consideration before the
bombardment."
As of the time of this story many gun-toting policemen were still all
over Onyi River Crescent, but efforts to reach the police spokesman to
get his reaction proved abortive as his phones were switched off.
It would be recalled that the Baraje-led faction of PDP broke away
during the PDP convention at Eagle Square one week ago with seven
Governors and a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, leading the way
to the formation of the 'New PDP.' The group was preparing to
officially open their Headquarters in the area but the proposed
property was sealed off by the Police, which has practically immersed
itself in politics and taken sides with President Goodluck Jonathan in
the crisis that is rocking the party.